U.S. Threatens to Arm Ukraine with Tomahawk Cruise Missiles

What Happened?

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles if there is no resolution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump said, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send Tomahawks.’

Russia’s former President Dmitri Medvedev responded by saying, ‘The supply of these missiles could end badly for everyone. First and foremost, for Trump.’ U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth traveled to Europe this week to meet with his NATO counterparts, and Mr. Hegseth also said that ‘more firepower is on the way’ for Ukraine.

Why it Matters

Tomahawk cruise missiles could change the war between Russia and Ukraine by allowing Ukrainian forces to hit targets they are currently unable to reach. Tomahawks, depending on the variant, have effective ranges of up to one-thousand-five-hundred miles, which would put many Russian military bases and arms factories within range of Ukrainian forces. 

The final decision on whether to send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine rests with President Trump, who has not indicated when he would make that call. His threats to do so are likely a negotiating tactic to try to get Russian leaders back to the table to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. Thus far the response from Russia has been mostly negative.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that if the U.S. sends Tomahawks to Ukraine, then American military personnel would have to be on the ground in Ukraine in order for the weapons to be used. It’s unclear if that is true, but either way Russia has signaled that it would consider Ukrainian Tomahawk use to be an escalation of the current conflict. 

While Russia has warned of a wider war with NATO over Tomahawk use, Ukraine has been hitting targets inside Russia for well over two years now. The difference could be the level of destruction. Tomahawks pack much more of a punch than most of Ukraine’s current drone fleet. By carrying larger warheads Tomahawks could inflict enough damage that Russia feels they cannot ignore it. 

Thus far, while Ukraine has carried out several successful drone strikes inside Russia, the damage has been manageable. Tomahawks could change that by allowing Ukraine to completely destroy a wide range of targets and facilities inside Russia. 

How it Affects You

While the world’s attention has been focused on Gaza for the past few weeks, the war between Ukraine and Russia has continued unabated. Long range cruise missiles could give Ukraine a potent new weapon to hit targets deep inside Russia, but the possibility of Russian retaliation directly against NATO cannot be discounted.